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Parliamentary System/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim climbs a rope ladder up to a treehouse. A sign on the treehouse door reads: Robot Rotary International. TIM: Hmm. Tim opens the door. The treehouse is arranged like parliamentary chambers. Moby is presiding over a lawmaking session, and many smaller robots are running around, beeping, fighting, and arguing. Moby bangs his gavel repeatedly, trying to establish order. TIM: Great Scott! Tim stands in the doorway. One robot chases another robot in front of him. The robot in front is carrying a stack of official papers. The robots pass Tim and fall with a crash. Tim cringes as sheets of paper fly into the air. He grabs one of the sheets and reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby... He is interrupted by a robot playing the trumpet and one playing music and holding a microphone. He begins again. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby... The interference continues. Moby bangs his gavel. It does no good. Moby produces a much larger gavel and smashes his podium into two pieces. The room falls silent. Crickets chirp. TIM: Uh, thanks. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, what's a parliamentary government? It seems like most countries use it. From, Mahrukh. Hey, Mahrukh. The parliamentary system is the most common form of government in the world. An image shows a world map. Countries with a parliamentary system are highlighted. The highlighted areas include Australia, Canada, much of Asia and Europe, and parts of Africa. The United States, Mexico, and nearly all of South America are not highlighted. TIM: It's a type of democracy that's named after its legislative body, or parliament. An image shows the different groups within a parliament. TIM: It's basically equivalent to our Congress. An image shows the United States Capitol, where Congress meets. TIM: Members of parliament, or MPs, are elected to represent different parts of a country. They debate the issues and pass laws based on majority rule. Just like in America, responsibilities are shared with an executive branch and a judicial branch. An image illustrates a three-part government, consisting of a parliament, an executive branch, and a judicial branch. MOBY: Beep. TIM: The difference is that parliaments have more power. In most systems, they get to pick the prime minister, the head of the executive branch. That would be like if our Congress chose the president. An arrow appears, pointing from parliament to the prime minister at the head of the executive branch. MOBY: Beep. TIM: No one actually runs for prime minister. The majority political party chooses one of their own MPs to fill the role. An animation shows a new prime minister walking from the majority party to the prime minister's podium. TIM: It also selects the major cabinet positions. An animation shows new members of the cabinet joining the prime minister at a large table. TIM: The entire executive division is basically an extension of parliament. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, it's way easier to make new laws when the legislative and executive branches are in sync. In a presidential system like ours, the branches are often controlled by opposing parties. Side by side animations represent a Democratic White House and a Republican Congress. TIM: If they can't find common ground, they get stuck in an endless loop. An animation shows Uncle Sam trapped in a stagecoach that is being pulled back and forth by a donkey and an elephant headed in opposite directions. TIM: Acts passed by Congress are vetoed by the president. Presidential initiatives are blockaded by the House or Senate. The result is legislative gridlock, with little getting done. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Parliamentary systems usually have major parties, too. Like in England, the Labour Party is equivalent to our Democrats. While the Conservative Party is basically like our Republicans. An animation represents the two parties as Tim describes. MOBY: Beep. TIM: The big difference is that parliaments usually have a good number of seats filled by smaller parties. An animation of parliament uses colored figures to illustrate the different parties. TIM: This usually means better representation of minority groups and viewpoints. Small parties might even band together to form larger coalitions. They make compromises to get laws passed and ensure their voices are heard. The animation shows one large group voting "nay" while several smaller parties band together and vote "yay". The winning group raises their arms and cheers. TIM: These minority blocs can even affect the selection of a prime minister. MOBY: Beep. TIM: When no one has a majority of seats, a coalition government might form. Different parties join forces to gain control of parliament. The coalition gets to pick the prime minister and fill cabinet positions. The animation shows the parties joining together and selecting a prime minister and cabinet members. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Once in office, prime ministers basically work for parliament. In some countries, they even go before the legislature on a weekly basis. They're peppered with questions and at times even jeers from MPs. The animation shows a prime minister addressing a loud, unruly legislature. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, their authority totally depends on legislative approval. Shifts in opinion can have an instant impact. If enough MPs dislike the prime minister, they can declare a vote of no confidence. The PM steps down, returning to her seat in parliament. Then the majority party or coalition chooses a new executive team. The animation illustrates the process Tim describes. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, there are regular elections to choose members of parliament. Each new legislature can retain or choose a new prime minister. Animations show individual citizens voting by ballot and with a voting machine. TIM: No confidence votes really only occur if a PM is doing a horrible job. An animation shows people yelling and complaining and the PM repeatedly being replaced. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Oh, yeah. Prime ministers themselves can also call for an early election. That usually happens when their party has a strong hold on parliament, but they want to bring in new MPs with fresh ideas. An animation shows a governmental cabinet being cleared out and replaced by the prime minister. TIM: Yup. That's why you might hear that a country has a "new" government. Even if there wasn't a scheduled general election. An image shows a newspaper's front page. Its headline reads: New Government for Italy. TIM: It just means parliament or the prime minister forced a shakeup of the executive branch. MOBY: Beep. TIM: In some parliamentary governments, the people get to elect a president, too. France has one of these semi-presidential systems. An image shows a French cabinet, with a president at its head. TIM: The position there comes with a lot of power. The president gets to pick the prime minister and can even disband parliament. An animation shows the French president picking a prime minister. TIM: But more often, the president is a ceremonial position. They act as ambassadors and advise the prime minister. Sometimes, royalty serves in this role. That's called a constitutional monarchy. An animation shows a prime minister and a king, talking to each other on their cell phones. TIM: It's how some countries honor their history and traditions. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yup. There are as many variations on the parliamentary system as there are nations that use it. An image of a world map uses different colors to designate variations of the parliamentary system around the world. TIM: The one essential ingredient is a dominant legislature. And sometimes this concentration of power proves to be a major pitfall. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, the majority party can remake the executive branch at any time. This type of turnover might weaken or destabilize a country. Side by side animations compare the quick succession of prime ministers in one country with an American president serving an uninterrupted term. TIM: Minority parties can pose the opposite problem. If seats are split among groups with very different views, forming a coalition can be next to impossible. The parliament gets stuck in gridlock, and nothing gets done. An animation shows a parliament with different groups of people. The people start to shout and wave their arms. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Right, like these guys. The treehouse is still filled with arguing robots. TIM: What kind of system is this, anyway? MOBY: Beep. Moby grabs a book and starts to study it. Its title reads: Mobocracy for Ding-a-Lings. TIM: That's Mobocracy. Mob, not Mobe. MOBY: Beep. Moby opens another book. This one is titled: Capracracy for Ding-a-Lings. Its cover shows a picture of a goat, dressed as a monarch and holding a scepter. TIM: That's rule by goats. A goat is heard bleating. GOAT: Baa-a-a-a. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts